Kidnapped
by laoisbabe
Summary: Jack's life is used as a bargaining tool. His team rush to find him before it's too late.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the rights to Without a Trace, its characters or episodes. Just a fan having fun.

TITLE: KIDNAPPED

**F.B.I. Building**

"I'll see you tomorrow." Jack says to the team, as he puts his head in around the door and prepares to leave the office early.

"You okay, Jack? It's not like you to leave early." Danny remarks, with his usual hint of cheekiness.

"I think I'm coming down with flu or something. I'll see you tomorrow," he replies as he turns and heads towards the elevator.

The team return to their conversation. Danny and Martin are joking about as usual and Viv and Samantha trying to keep some order in the office.

"I hope he's okay." Sam comments. "He doesn't look the best."

"A good nights sleep and some paracetamol should sort him out," replies Viv.

Jack makes his way down the elevator, to the parking garage. He takes a fit of coughing as he reaches the car.

"Damn it," he grumbles as he starts the engine.

He pulls out onto the street, unaware of the eyes that are watching his every move.

His journey home is slow but uneventful. As he parks his car outside his building, a black van pulls in across the street. He enters his building, just as the two figures emerge from the van.

Jack opens his apartment door and takes off his jacket and tie and throws them onto a chair. He unbuckles his gun belt as he walks towards the refrigerator. He grabs some orange juice and roots around his cupboards for some paracetamol. He unceremoniously flops into an armchair and turns on the t.v. It feels good to put up his feet for a while. For some reason, it felt like a long day, even though they had no new case to deal with. Things were unusually quiet in work. He preferred to be busy though. That was probably why the day seemed to drag.

As Jack tuned into a Nick's game, he didn't hear the lock on his apartment door opening. The first he knew of the intruders was when a large figure loomed in his peripheral vision. Instinctively, he jumped and tried to grab his weapon. He didn't make it. Jack screamed in pain as one of the intruders smashed his outstretched arm with an iron bar. As Jack struggled to recover, the second intruder grabbed him from behind and dragged him to his feet. He hadn't even seen the second man come in. In spite of the pain he was in, Jack continued to fight back. Unfortunately, he was fighting a losing battle.

While one of the intruders held him, the other beat him. He punched him in the face and ribs for what seemed like an eternity.

He was thrown to the ground and repeatedly kicked in the back. Eventually, the pain of the attack dwindled, as Jack slipped into unconsciousness.

"Get him up," orders one brutal intruder to the other.

"He's out of it. We'll have to carry him," replies the second man.

"Whatever! Just get him into the van," he barks.

Between them they manage to manhandle Jack out of his apartment, seemingly unnoticed, and into the back of their van. They headed back to the old church. It was an ideal place to keep him, secluded and unused. No one ever went there. It was surrounded by derelict and run down buildings. There was very little passing traffic. No one would see or hear anything.

When they arrived, they bundled Jack into a small, windowless room near the alter of the church. They had left an old mattress and some blankets on the floor. They threw him onto it and walked out, locking the door behind them. Jack never even stirred, he was still lost in the darkness.

**F.B.I. Building, next morning**

"Hey, guys. Has anyone seen Jack yet?" Viv asked as she returned to her desk.

"Not yet," Danny replies as the others shake their heads.

"Maybe he's taking a sick day?" Viv suggests.

"Jack Malone, taking a sick day? Well, there's a first time for everything, I guess," quips Martin.

"I'll try to get him on his cell. He's got a meeting with Van Doren at 11am. I'll see if he wants me to cancel," says Viv being her usual practical self.

She dials Jack's number. The phone rings out.

"That's odd, no answer. I'll try his apartment," she tells them. The phone in his apartment rings out also.

"It's not like him not to at least call in. I hope he's okay. He wasn't feeling well yesterday evening. Maybe one of us should call around and make sure he's okay," suggests Viv, with a hint of concern in her voice.

"I'm sure he's okay, Viv. He's probably sleeping off the flu," Danny suggests.

"I know. I'll try his number again. If there's no answer, I'm going over to his place," Viv insists.

She tries both numbers again. Each rings out. Viv decides to go to Jack's apartment. Martin accompanies her.

**Derelict Church**

Meanwhile, back at the abandoned church, Jack wakes. He tries to open his eyes but they're heavy and swollen. His head hurts, his whole body aches. Where the hell am I, he thinks to himself. He tries to sit up. He yells in agony as he tries to use his broken arm to help him up. Confusion sweeps over him.

What the hell happened? Where am I? How did I get here? His head is spinning. He feels sick. He heaves and throws up. He closes his eyes, in an attempt to stop the room spinning. He tries to stand and manages to get to his feet. He steadies himself against the wall. He attempts to take in his surroundings. The room is dark and cold. There doesn't seem to be any natural light. He feels along the wall and comes to the door. He tries it but it's locked. He finds a light switch and flicks it on. It works. At least that's something! There's a bottle of water left on a table near the door. He realises then, just how thirsty he is. He struggles to open the lid, using only his uninjured limb. Holding the bottle between his legs and twisting with his uninjured arm, he opens it and greedily drinks the fluid.

He begins to coughs as he drinks it too fast.

He takes time to examine his prison in more detail, now that he has light. It's a small room with little in the way of furnishings. There's a crucifix on one wall. A large wardrobe stands against another wall. He opens it to see what's inside. He finds some old cloths and what looks likes priest's vestments. Besides some old papers and other garments there's not much else in it.

He tries to use parts of the vestments to make a sling to immobilise his arm. The resulting sling leaves a lot to be desired, but trying to tie knots using your mouth and one hand isn't all that easy.

He flops back onto the mattress. The exertion of the last few minutes takes its toll. A wave of nausea sweeps over him again. He takes a number of deep breaths to try and fend it off. It seems to work….for now.

Bit by bit, the events of the previous night begin to come back to him. He remembers getting home and the struggle with the two intruders. He has no recollection of how he got here or any idea how long he's been here.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Outside Jack's Apartment**_

Martin knocks loudly on the door to Jack's apartment.

"Jack, are you in there? It's Martin," he shouts through the door. "His car's outside. He should be in there," he comments to Viv.

"Maybe he's passed out or something. I'll get the super to let us in," says Viv, as she walks back down the hall.

Martin continues to knock and call Jack.

"Anything?" Viv asks, as she returns with the building super.

"Nothing," Martin replies. "We'll take it from here, thanks," he says to the super, they enter the apartment.

From the moment they enter, its obvious something's happened in the apartment.

"Shit," says Martin, reaching for his weapon. "Jack, are you there?" he shouts as he searches room to room.

"He's not here," Viv says, as she looks around at the mess. The t.v. is still on, juice spilt on the rug, Jack's coat and gun are right where he left them. Then she sees the blood.

"Martin," she calls and she looks down at the ground.

"What the hell happened here?" Martin asks.

"I don't know, but we'd better call it in," Viv replies. "Looks like Jack's in trouble."

**_Van Doren Office, F.B.I. Headquarters._**

"Hello." Van Doren answers her phone. "Sorry, what did you say? What Agent? I've the Deputy Director with me now. I'll tell him. Thanks."

"Problems?" Victor Fitzgerald asks.

"One of our Agents is missing. It looks like he may have been taken," Van Doren tells him.

"Who is it?" Victor enquires, hoping she's not going to say his son.

"Jack Malone. He didn't show up for work today, so some of his team went to his apartment. They found blood and signs of a struggle," Van Doren continues.

"Bloody Jack Malone. We still have to look for him I suppose," Victor remarks. There's no love lost between Jack and Victor. They've always butted heads when it came to their approach to getting things done.

Van Doren is somewhat surprised by Victor's remarks, but lets it slide.

"Well, his team can't work on it. I'll assign it to Mark Lewis' team. They have experience with this type of thing," she suggests.

"Sure. If there's anything I can do, let me know," Victor offers as he leaves Van Doren's office.

"Thanks," she says graciously as she calls her secretary. "Carol, get me Mark Lewis on the phone urgently, please."

Back on the 12th Floor, Jack's team are anxiously trying to deal with the fact that their boss is missing.

"It's obvious someone's taken him," Martin tells them. "But what do they want? I mean, why Jack? Has he been kidnapped or was it a robbery gone wron? Jesus, we have to find him," he goes on.

"Calm down, Martin. We can't be sure of anything right now. We have to stay objective and can't allow or emotions get in the way of finding him. We will find him," Danny says, trying to calm his friend.

"No you won't," interrupts Special Agent Mark Lewis, as he enters the office. "Van Doren's assigned this case to me. Look, I know how worried you all are, but you're too close to this. I'll keep you up to speed, you can even help out, but we're taking the lead on this."

Martin, Danny, Sam and Viv didn't want to admit it but they all knew he was right, and they were glad it was him. He had a fine reputation and trained with Jack, so he knew him quite well.

"Right. Let's get to work then," he orders.

_**Derelict Church**_

Back in the church, Jack sleeps on and off. Its freezing and he uses the blankets that were left, as well as some of the garments from the wardrobe, to try and keep warm. As he wakes, he hears footsteps approaching and the door opens.

A tall man with huge broad shoulders enters. He's holding a gun in one hand and take-away food in the other.

"Stay where you are, Malone. I'd hate to have to kill you so soon," he sneers.

"Who are you? What do you want with me?" Jack demands.

"We don't want you, Jack. You're just a means to an end," he tells him.

"Really. What are you looking for? Money? You know the FBI won't pay a ransom. That's not how they do things," Jack tells him.

"Don't flatter yourself, Jack. What do you think you're worth?" he laughs. "It's not what we want, Jack, it's more like who we want."

"What? Let me guess, some low life to be released, right?" Jack asks.

"God, you're good Jack," mocks his captor. "Maybe you know our friend, Miguel Ortega. Ring any bells?"

"Ortega…..Hah! I see" laughs Jack, immediately recognising the name. "You know there's not a chance in hell they'll let him walk," Jack informs him.

"We'll see. Enjoy your food," his captor replies.

"You haven't got any pain killers, I suppose?" Jack asks.

"Aah, you not feeling too good, Jackie boy? What do you think we are, a pharmacy?" sneers the guy as he shuts the door.

I'm in big trouble this time, Jack thinks to himself. He looks at the food. Hunger was the last thing on his mind, so he just sipped the soda and waited.

**F.B.I. Headquarters – 24 hours missing**

"Anything new?" Danny enquires from Lewis. It had been a long day and an even longer night. None of the team managed to get much sleep.

"One resident near Jack's building, saw a man being helped to a car that night. Two guys were helping a third guy. The witness just thought that the guy was drunk. Could've been Jack, if he's hurt. Didn't get a description though," Lewis tells him.

Just then, Lewis' phone rings.

He answers. "Lewis. Yea. When? Where'd they take him? Okay, thanks. We'll be right down."

Lewis hangs up and looks into the enquiring eyes of each team member. This wasn't going to be easy, he thought.

"What is it?" Sam asks impatiently, breaking his train of thought.

"A body, matching Jack's description, was found two hours ago on waste ground, just off the freeway. They want someone to go to the morgue to identify the body," he tells them.

A stunned silence descends.

"No! It can't be!!" Sam shouts and runs towards the restroom.

Martin just sinks back into his chair and holds his head in his hands. Viv fights to keep her composure. Danny just gets angry and punches the white board. Lewis does his best to try and comfort them.

"Look, it might not be him. They want someone to do the I.D. I'll go," he offers.

"I'll go with you," Danny volunteers. "We'll call you," he says to his devastated friends.

**City Morgue**

"I hate these places," Lewis says, looking around the sterile looking room.

"Me too," mumbles Danny.

The morgue technician wheels in the gurney with the body covered in a white sheet.

"What was the cause of death?" Lewis asks.

"The P.M. hasn't been carried out but looks like the gunshot wound to the head did it," the technician answers.

"You ready to do this?" Lewis asks Danny.

"Not really, but go ahead," he replies.

The technician removes the sheet from the victims face. They both look hard at the body and then at each other.

"It's not him! It's not him!" Danny repeats, excitedly. "Thank God."

Lewis turns to the technician and says "Its not our boy, thank God."

Danny quickly phones the office and gives the good news. The team don't know whether to laugh or cry. The body wasn't Jack's, but they still had no leads.

**Derelict Church**

Back in his cell, Jack is joined by his captors, this time by both of them.

"Hold this," the smaller of the two orders him, as he shoves a copy of today's newspaper into his face. Jack catches a glimpse of the headline. He hadn't made the front page, but the murder of a Catholic priest in his church had. He tried to hold the paper, as best he could.

The big guy took a Polaroid of Jack holding the newspaper.

"They'll want to know you're still alive," he tells him.

"You're wasting your time. I told you, they won't negotiate," Jack shouts at them as they lock him in again.

The exertion brought on a fit of coughing. His ribs hurt like hell when he coughed. Then he brought up blood.

"That's not good," he said to himself when he got his breath back. He sat back down and hoped that one of his team would understand his subtle message.


	3. Chapter 3

**F.B.I. Headquarters – 30 hours missing**

Lewis marches into the incident room waving an envelope.

"This was delivered to Van Doren's office an hour ago. Its Jack," he says as he passes the photograph around.

"His captors are looking for the release of a guy called Miguel Ortega from custody and for him to be given safe passage to McKinley airfield. They say if Ortega's not released in 48 hours, Jack will be killed."

The team digest what Lewis just told them.

"God, Jack looks pretty beaten up. At least we know he's alive though," Martin comments as he examines the photo. "Have forensics examined the photo yet?"

"They have the original. This is a copy," Lewis informs him.

Martin takes the photo and places it on the incident board. They each examine it.

"Hey, look at his hand," Sam notices.

"Yeah. Looks like a makeshift sling," Martin answers.

"No, his other hand. Is he pointing to something?" she asks.

They each lean in closer.

"Maybe? Something in the paper, perhaps?" Viv suggest.

"Get me a copy of today's Times," Lewis shouts.

Danny asks around the office and soon returns with a copy of the newspaper. They spread out the front page.

"Is he pointing to the article about the murdered priest?" asks Viv.

"Could be. Let me see the photo again," asks Lewis. He examines it again.

"That sling….look at it. Looks like its got gold crosses on it. Is it a religious garment?"

"Could be," says Samantha. "So, is he trying to tell us that he's in a church?" she asks.

"A church," Viv answers. "You know you could be right. Look at the picture again, see that wardrobe, its very ornate. That blocked up window could be a church window, I suppose."

"Well let's work on that. It's the best lead we've had all day," Lewis suggests.

"Do you have any idea how many churches are in this city?" Danny asks.

"No, but I'm guessing lots. So lets narrow it down. They have to be holding him in a disused church. Activity would have to go unnoticed. Call the archbishop's office and see if they can identify any derelict or disused churches in the city. Also, find out about those closed for renovations," Lewis asks them.

"It's worth a shot," Viv says as she moves towards her desk. The rest of the team get to work, doing what they do best.

**Derelict Church**

Jack lies, shivering in the cold, damp room. His chest is sore and each breath is painful. He knows that he's sick and begins to wonder if he's going to come out of this situation alive. His mind wanders to his kids and Maria. How would she explain to them, what happened to him? How would his little girls cope? Hannah and little Kate, they're too young to have to deal with losing their Dad. He couldn't let it happen. He just had to fight with every ounce of strength he had left…..for their sake. He drifts off into a deep sleep.

**F.B.I. Headquarters**

Work is steady and the team have narrowed the number of possible churches to 40. They requested the assistance of the NYPD to help search the churches.

It crossed Viv's mind that no one had called Maria. She was living in Chicago now but was still, technically, Jack's next of kin. She volunteered to do it, having been friendly with Maria while she was married to Jack.

She dials the number that Jack had on his personnel file.

Maria answers, "Hello."

"Hi Maria, Its Vivienne Johnson."

"Oh, hello Viv. How are you? Is everything okay?" Maria asks, sensing something was wrong.

"Have you seen the news yet today?" Viv asks her.

"No…oh God. What's happened? Is it Jack?" she pleads.

"He's missing, Maria. He's been taken hostage. The guys holding him are looking for the Justice Department to release a prisoner in exchange for Jack's life," Viv tells her.

"Right. They'll do it, won't they?" Maria asks.

"Honestly, it's not something they'd normally do, Maria. We're following a few leads. We'll find him before the deadline," Viv promises.

"And if you don't?" Maria asks.

"We will. We have to. I have to go, but I'll call you as soon as we have any news," Viv tells her before she hangs up.

**Derelict Church.**

"Hey, Malone. On you feet," shouts Luis, the smaller of the two kidnappers. Jack moans and rolls over. It's obvious that he's struggling to breathe.

"Malone, did you hear me? I said "Get up"," he shouts, as he kicks Jack in the guts.

Jack curls up and adopts a foetal position. He makes no attempt to get up.

"Paolo, I think this guys sick. Come here," he shouts out to his partner.

"What's wrong with him?" Paolo asks, as he walks in the room.

"I don't know. I'm not a doctor. He doesn't sound too good. Looks like he's got a fever too. What'll we do? If he dies, we'll never get Miguel," Luis realises.

"I'll get some painkillers. You get him to take them. Keep him alive for another day. That's all we need," Paolo says. "I have to call the F.B.I and arrange the handover. You stay with him for a while. Keep an eye on him."

**F.B.I. Headquarters**

A call is put through to the incident room. Lewis signals for quiet in the room.

"It's him. Ready?" he asks, as he nods to the technician beside him.

"Times running out boys. Agent Malone's getting restless. Six p.m. tomorrow. Ortega must arrive at McKinley Airfield in a vehicle alone. We will be watching. If he's alone, Malone will be put into the same car and released. If we see any signs of tailing or surveillance, Malone will be shot," the caller tells them and then abruptly hangs up.

"You get him?" Lewis asks the tech.

"Not an exact location, but the call was made from the North Eastern area of the city," the tech answers, shaking his head.

"Damn! Okay then, lets narrow down our list of churches accordingly," he orders the team.

Just then another agent shouts across the room "Agent Lewis, there's a call for you on line 8."

He picks it up.

"Special Agent Mark Lewis, what can I do for you?" he answers.

"Agent Lewis, this is Captain Wheaton from the 14th Precinct. We've been checking out some of those churches like you asked and we may have the one your looking for. It's St. Andrew's Church on Stephen's Street. We were asking around and it seems there's been two guys in and out over the last week or so. They've been seen bringing in food and beers and stuff. We thought we'd hang back until you got here," the policeman tells him.

"Good work. We'll be right down. Stay out of sight. We don't want to spook them," Lewis advises him. He then shouts to the team. "OK, guys, saddle up. NYPD have a possible church for us to check out. Lets go."

_**Outside St. Andrew's Church.**_

A number of black sedans pull up in the surrounding streets. The agents observe the church from a distance. It looks abandoned. The windows are boarded up and any glass remaining is broken. It fits the criteria.

"So how do we do it?" asks Martin.

"Quietly. Two around the back, two in the front. Body armour on, okay? Maintain radio silence once inside. If they're in there, don't engage them unless you've no alternative. Let's find Jack and bring him out alive. Danny and Martin, you take the back. Samantha, you're with me," he orders.

**Inside St. Andrew's Church**

Luis and Paolo are oblivious to the activity outside. They sit smoking in the vestry.

"You'd better check on him," Paolo suggests.

Luis opens the door to the room where Jack is being held.

"You dead yet, Malone?" he laughs as he walks in and stands over Jack.

The wheezing and rasping confirm to him that Jack's still alive. Barely.

Luis emerges and closes the door behind him, unaware of the two sets of eyes watching him from the darkness.

Danny and Martin have made their way into the church through the rear door. They watch him lock the door and head back to his mate. They look at each other and nod, each understanding the other's intentions.

Slowly, with weapons drawn, they inch towards the door. They are grateful to see that Luis has left the key in the lock. Quietly Martin turns the key and pushes the door in. In the darkness they see a figure lying motionless on the mattress. The only sound is a terrible rasping coming from Jack.

Danny kneels by Jack, while Martin keeps watch at the door.

"Jack! Can you hear me? It's Danny. Can you get up?" he asks him, as he feels his forehead.

"He's burning up, completely out of it. I'll have to try and carry him," Danny quietly tells Martin.

"Can you? Maybe we should just wait for back up," Martin suggests.

"I'm not sure Jack can wait. He's really struggling to breathe," Danny informs him.

"Okay then. I'll cover you," Martin offers.

Danny struggles to lift Jack. With a little help from Martin, he manages to get Jack onto his shoulder in a fireman's lift. Jack groans. As they're leaving, Danny stumbles under the dead weight he is carrying.

Unfortunately, Paolo and Luis hear the noise and each grab their weapon and look at each other. They can see movement in the shadows. Paolo raises his gun and shoots into the darkness.

The shots alert Lewis and Samantha, who were making their way slowly up the aisle of the church.

"Move it, Danny," Martin shouts, as another shot rings out. This time Martin returns fire. Luis then fires his automatic weapon. Danny's almost at the exit when he turns to look for Martin. He sees Martin go down.

"Martin!" he shouts as he reaches the door

Martin coughs and rolls on the ground. He's winded. Luckily, his vest saved him. He locates his gun and fires just as Luis comes into sight and releases another volley of shots at the door. Martin hits Luis and he falls to the ground. At that instant, Danny & Jack burst through into the sunlight.

Danny feels a burning pain in his side and drops to his knees, unceremoniously dumping Jack to the ground. He realises that he's been hit. He leans over Jack, to check if he's breathing. He's hugely relieved to find that he is.

He radio's in his position and requests urgent medical assistance and back up.

"This is Taylor. I need urgent medical assistance to the rear of St. Andrew's Church. I have Agent Malone, Fitzgerald is down and I'm injured myself."

"Roger that. Help is on the way," comes the response.

"Hurry, okay. Jack's in a bad way."

He rolls Jack into the recovery position and then he sits back and puts pressure on his own wound. Just then an ashen-faced Martin stumbles through the church door.

"You okay?" Danny asks with surprise. "I thought they'd got you."

"They did," he answers as he taps his vest. "Sore ribs, that's all. Are you okay?"

"I will be. Got nicked, that's all. It's Jack I'm worried about," he answers, as he looks over at his injured boss.

Just then further shots ring out from inside the church. Martin goes back in to see if he can help Sam and Lewis. By the time he gets there, it's all over. Paolo is lying on his back in a pool of blood.

"Where's Jack?" Sam asks anxiously.

"Out the back with Danny. He's in bad shape and Danny got shot. He's okay though. They're waiting on the medics," Martin informs her.

As they go through to the rear of the church, the ambulance arrives. The paramedics assess each of the injured men.

One of them assists Danny into the ambulance, then they load Jack onto a stretcher and put him in as well.

"We'll follow you there," Martin shouts just before the doors close and the ambulance pull away, sirens blaring.


	4. Chapter 4

When the ambulance arrives at the E.R., Jack is rushed to a trauma room. Danny is brought in to the room beside Jack's. He can hear the doctors as they work on his friend.

"There's decreased breath sounds on the right side. His lung's collapsed. We'll need to insert a chest tube," the doctor tells his staff.

He orders a number of tests and treatments to reduce Jack's temperature. Danny lies there, watching what's happening, almost oblivious to the treatment he's receiving himself. Suddenly, Jack starts to shake and shudder violently.

"He's seizing," he hears the medics say.

Someone holds his head and a nurse injects a relaxant to try and counteract the seizure. After about a minute, the seizure stops.

"I think we should intubate to protect the airway," the doctor suggests.

They continue treating Jack as Danny watches protectively.

After a short while, Sam and Martin arrive at the E.R. They find Danny on the treatment table.

"How is he?" Martin asks the nurse nearby.

"He was lucky. The bullet went straight through and caused no major damage. He'll be sore for a while and we'll keep him in for observation for a night but he'll be fine," she tells him.

Danny hardly notices his two friends enter the room. His eyes are still fixed on what's going on in the room next door.

"Danny?" Sam says to him.

"He's not doing too good, Sam," Danny tells her.

"Who?" Sam asks, not realising who is in the next room. "Is that Jack?"

"Yea. They're still working on him," he tells them.

Sam walks to the window and stares at the figure, so still on the treatment table.

"Oh my God, he look terrible," she says to no one in particular.

All of a sudden, there's a lot of activity in the treatment room, then she realises that they're moving him. She runs out of Danny's room to talk to the doctor treating Jack.

"Excuse me, where are you taking him?" she asks the doctor, as she simultaneously produces her credentials.

"He's going up to I.C.U.," the doctor tells her.

"How is he?" she asks him.

"His condition is serious but we've managed to stabilise him. He suffered a collapsed lung, which resulted in respiratory distress. This wasn't helped by the fact the he has contracted pneumonia. The collapsed lung could have been caused by his rib injuries or the pneumonia. He suffered a seizure, as a result of his high temperature. We're treating that with medication and it should start to come down fairly quickly. He'll be closely monitored in the I.C.U. He'll need surgery on that arm, but they won't attempt to carry that out until he has stabilised," he informs her.

"O.K. Thank you Doctor," Sam says gratefully.

She returns to Danny and Martin and tells them what she heard. Vivienne and Lewis arrive a few minutes later. They are glad to see that Danny is okay and to hear that Jack is stable. Lewis tells Martin to go and get his ribs checked on while they're here. He does as he's told.

Vivienne decides to call Maria and tell her what has happened. Needless to say she is very relieved that they have found him. Even though they've split up, she still loves Jack. He is the father of her kids, after all. They would always have a special bond. She tells Viv that she will get a flight to New York as soon as she can.

A nurse comes in and tells Danny that they have a bed for him on the third floor. He sits into a wheelchair and she takes him to it. Sam and Viv follow him. They tell Martin where they are going first. Doctors inform Martin that he'll be sore and bruised for a while but that he's okay to be discharged. They give him painkillers to take. Once treated, he follows the others up to Danny's room.

"I'm going to check in on Jack," Sam says as she excuses herself.

She asks for directions to the I.C.U. She is shown into Jack's room. He's lying there, so still and so silent. She watches his bruised chest rise and fall in rhythm with the ventilator. His face is swollen and cut, and yet so pale.

"Hey, Jack. You probably can't hear me, but I just want you to know that we're all here. You've got to be strong and get better, okay? Maria and the girls are coming for a visit, and you can't miss that. Be strong, Jack, please," she pleads, as she takes hold of his hand.

She sits with him for a while. Martin comes in a little later and stands and places his hand on Sam's shoulder. He couldn't help but feel jealous of how close Jack and Sam were. He wished she's look at him the way she looks at Jack.

"He'll be okay," he says, trying to comfort her.

Just then, Martin notices a familiar figure through the window. It's his father, Deputy Director Victor Fitzgerald. He walks out to him, none too pleased to see him.

"What are you doing here?" he asks gruffly.

"I heard what happened. I came to see how Malone was," Victor tells him.

"Like you care," Martin mumbles, unable to look him in the eye.

"That's not fair, Martin. Jack and I don't always see eye to eye, but it doesn't mean that I'd wish him any harm," his father tells him.

"I'm sorry," Martin apologises, holding his head. "It's been a long day."

"Are you okay, son?" Victor asks. "Lewis told me you were injured."

"I'm fine. My vest saved me. I'm sore, that's all," Martin admits. "Jack's pretty sick though. They said the next 24 hours are critical."

"You want to get some coffee?" Victor asks his son.

"Sure. Sam will sit with Jack," he tells him, as they make their way to the cafeteria.

The rest of the night passes peacefully. Vivienne is the first to return to the hospital. She sees Sam dozing in a chair in Jack's room.

"Have you been here all night?" she asks her.

"Yea, I guess so. I didn't want him to wake and for there to be no one here," she admits.

"How is he?" Viv asks.

"Seems better. His fever is down at least," Sam tells her. " The doctor will be around later."

"Why don't you go and get some breakfast," Viv suggests to Sam. "I'll sit with him for a while."

"Yeah. O.K. Call me if he wakes up," she asks, before straightening her hair up and leaving the room.

Viv sits quietly with Jack, thinking of all that had happened the previous day. She was imagining what might have happened if they hadn't found him. She couldn't help it. It played on her mind just how close they came to losing him. He was a good friend to her. They had been through a lot together in their years on the job.

Later that morning, there's a knock at the window to Jack's room. There's a dark haired lady standing outside looking in. Sam recognises her as Maria Malone, Jack's ex-wife. Sam signals her to come in.

"Oh my God, I tried to prepare myself for this, but he looks so ill," she says emotionally. "This is what I always feared while we were married, getting a call one night, to tell me he was dead or injured. He spends so much time on the job, it was only a matter of time."

"He's going to be okay, Maria. He's already doing better, according to the nurses this morning," Viv reassures her. "His fever's down and they're talking about removing his breathing tube today."

Sam stays awkwardly silent. She's not sure if Maria knows about her and Jack's little fling. She stays in the background as Maria pulls a seat in, close to Jack's bed. She gently caresses his face.

"We'll go and give you some time with him. We should go and check on Danny," Vivienne suggests.

Sam is relieved at the suggestion and is the first to make for the door.

Maria holds Jack's hand and talks to him about their daughters. As she looks at him, she can see the man she loved and wonders 'if only'. If only he had devoted as much time to her as he did to his job, if only she hadn't chosen her career ahead of her marriage, if only life had been kinder. She sat and wondered what might have been.

She stayed with Jack for a few hours and, eventually, his doctors joined her in his room.

"Mrs. Malone, I'm Doctor Baxter. I'm treating your husband," the doctor begins.

"Ex-husband," Maria corrects her.

"Oh, right. We're happy with his progress. He had a good night. His temperature is down and is oxygen levels are almost back to normal. I'm going to extubate and I expect him to start coming around in the next few hours."

"Thank you, Doctor," Maria smiles, relieved with the positive news.

"He will be very weak and probably confused when he comes round. Try to keep him calm. We don't want him injuring himself any further by trying to get out of bed or anything. In the next day or two, he should be strong enough to undergo surgery on his arm," she warns as she approaches Jack's bed and begins the process of removing the breathing tube. She replaces the tube with a nasal cannula.

"He should be more comfortable with the tube out," Dr. Baxter explains. "His lungs are still quite congested but when he wakes we'll sit him up and that should improve. If you have any questions or are worried about anything, just ask the nurse to contact me and I'll be able to answer them for you."

"Thanks, Doctor," Maria says, as the doctor takes her leave.

Another couple of hours pass. Maria sits vigilantly by Jack's side. Martin brings her coffee and a sandwich. He keeps her company for a while and then excuses himself, saying that he has to go back to the office.

Just as Maria is about to leave, she notices Jack's eyelids begin to flutter.

"Jack? Can you hear me, Jack?" she asks, as she takes his hand and leans over him.

His eyes open, and he stares vaguely into space for a moment before he manages to focus. He looks around the room.

"Jack, you're in hospital. Can you remember what happened?" Maria asks.

"Maria? What are you doing here?" he croaks. He winces, as his throat is tender from the breathing tube.

"They called me. They said you were hurt. I had to come," she admits.

"I don't remember," Jack tells her.

"It's okay. It'll come back. You've been quite sick. You had us worried there for a while. The doctor says you're going to be fine though," Maria tells him.

"Are the girls with you?" he asks her.

"They're with my Mom. I'll bring them in to see you tomorrow, if you feel up to it," she promises.

"Yeah. That'd be great," he replies, before starting to cough. The coughing gets worse, until Maria presses the call button at his bedside. The nurse rushes in. She raises the bed so that Jack is in a sitting position. Eventually, he coughs up a large amount of phlegm and the coughing subsides. Maria can see from Jack's face, the pain that the coughing caused him. The nurse explains to him, why he's experiencing such pain.

"I'll get you some analgesia for the pain, Mr. Malone. You have a number of fractured ribs, which is painful at the best of times. Coughing like that isn't going to help. You may also experience pain from your arm. We haven't set it yet because you need surgery on it and you were too ill to risk the surgery. I'm sure the doctor will explain everything when she comes around later," the young nurse tells him, as she fixes his pillow and tries to make him as comfortable as possible.

"Thanks," Jack says to her, as he regains his breath.

She leaves the room and Maria comes over and sits beside Jack, on the bed.

"It's good to see you, Jack," she says sincerely.

"You, too," Jack admits. "I've really missed you. How are the girls?" he asks.

"They're great," she answers.

"That's good. And how's Alan?" Jack asks sarcastically, referring to her new boyfriend.

"He's good," she answers, not giving much away.

Jacks eyes are growing heavy and Maria notices this.

"You need to rest, Jack," she tells him. "I'll go and let you get some sleep. I'll bring the girls by tomorrow. I'm glad you're okay."

"Me too," Jack replies.

Maria takes her coat and bag and leaves the room. When she looks back in, Jack's eyes are closed and he's sound asleep.

The next morning Sam arrives to see Jack. She peeps into his room afraid she might wake him.

"Come on in," Jack says to her. "I'm not sleeping."

"Hi. How are you feeling?" she asks him, as she walks over toward his bed. She desperately wants to kiss him, but refrains.

"Better, thanks. Sore, but alive. Can't ask for must more than that," he tells her.

"Danny says 'Hi'," Sam tells him. "He's being released today."

"Danny's in here too?" Jack asks, with surprise.

"Didn't anyone tell you? Danny was shot while getting you out. It was a through and through to the side. He's fine, enjoying being waited on and harassing every nurse that enters the room," Sam smirks.

"That's Danny, alright. I'm glad he's okay. I don't remember being rescued. In fact I don't remember much of anything," Jack admits.

"Look, Jack, you can read the report when you get back to work. Don't go worrying about it now, alright?" Sam advises him.

Jack reaches out his uninjured arm. Sam puts her hand in his.

"I'm glad you're here," he tells her.

Sam smiles, placing a kiss on his forehead.

"Jack, I don't….," Sam begins, just before she's interrupted by a knock on the door. It's Maria and the girls. She pulls her hand from Jack's immediately. Maria hadn't noticed, she thinks. Hannah and Kate rush toward their Dad.

"Careful, girls," Maria warns. "Daddy's a bit sore, okay?"

They hug him. He winces, but is delighted to see them. They show him the cards that they made.

Sam and Maria exchange pleasantries. Sam makes an excuse that she was on her way to collect Danny and bring him home. She says goodbye to Jack and the girls and is gone.

Maria and the girls spend most of the morning with Jack. It's obvious that he's much better.

The doctor visits on her rounds and informs them that Jack's surgery has been scheduled for the following day.

**One week later**

Jack's surgery had gone very well and he was being released from hospital. Arrangements had to be made regarding who would stay with him while he was recovering. His arm was in a sling and his ribs were still very sore. He was very weak, and only released from hospital under orders of complete bed rest. Maria and the children had to return to Chicago, so Jack would be on his own in his apartment. He was advised by his doctors that he would need someone to look after him for a while.

Samantha volunteered. Needless to say, this caused a few raised eyebrows. But as far as Samantha was concerned, she didn't care. She knew what she wanted. She would be there for Jack. He needed her, and if anything else happened between them, she wouldn't fight it. She always knew what her feelings were. Inwardly, she hoped that Jack would realise his feelings also. She cooked for him, cleaned his apartment and was relentless in her care for him. This was how it should be. It felt right. She hoped that he could see it too.

She just had to wait and see what developed.

THE END


End file.
